1. Field of the Invention:
This invention relates in general to trailers and in particular to a trailer for carrying motorcycles and other lightweight uses.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
Various trailer designs for lightweight uses such as carrying motorcycles and light hauling are known. These trailers, designed to be towed behind an automobile or a pick-up truck, normally are of a two-wheel design with a box bed mounted on the axle between the wheels and a single point hitch. There are several disadvantages with this type of trailer. They are difficult to back, and are subject to "jackknifing" while pulled at high speeds on a highway. They require a large storage space also.
Another type of trailer known in the art uses a single castor wheel that swivels. The frame of the trailer is connected to the vehicle at two points by pinned hitches that prevent the trailer from moving in lateral directions. Various collapsible designs are shown in the U.S. Pat. No. 2,509,794 issued to Anderson, U.S. Pat. No. 2,691,546 issued to Torrance, and others. The advantages of these type of trailers is that they are easy to back since they are in rigid alignment with the car, and are not subject to "jackknifing". Also the car/trailer combination is shorter in over-all length. One disadvantage is that castor wheel trailers are not designed for heavier loads such as motorcycles because of torsional forces imposed upon the frame and hitches, particularly upon uneven roadways. Also the castor wheels tend to shimmy at high speeds, therefore require dampers or other means to prevent shimmying. While disconnected, the castor wheel trailers are difficult to control when pushing by hand. It is also difficult for one person to hitch a castor wheel trailer to a vehicle acting alone since holes must be aligned on both sides of the trailer and pins inserted therethrough.
One disadvantage with motorcycle trailers is that they are not adaptable for other uses. Also the motorcycles are conventionally mounted to the trailer by depressing the cycle suspension system and connecting straps to the handlebars of the cycle. This is an unwieldy operation. Also since the cycle suspension is under compression, vibration forces not absorbed by the trailer suspension system, which may be quite stiff, will be transmitted directly to the rigid motorcycle.